Saturday, May 22, 2010

MODIA invites you to experience the world's thinnest 3DTV! We will unveil the Samsung C9000 series at private events on May 27th. Drinks, hors d' oeuvres and unbelievable special pricing on all our TVs. To attend, please click here to RSVP!

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

To understand Refresh Rate specifications, we first have to look at some of the basic elements of such.

Hertz (Hz) is a measurement of frequency. In this situation, it refers to the number of video frames displayed on a TV each second. First, it is important to understand that most video content is sent to the TV at 60Hz. To clarify, a DVD player or cable box is sending 60 video frames to the TV each second. Frame rates, such as 120Hz, 240Hz, and 480Hz, increase the number of frames displayed on the TV each second. Thereason why TV manufacturers try to increase the number of frames in LCD TVs specifically is due to a problem with response time in LCD panels. Response time is how fast the individual pixel goes from active to inactive. Large screen LCD TVs have slow response times compared to other technologies which sometimes manifests as blur and trailing artifacts when there is motion in the image.

So, we already established that video sources only send 60 frames to a TV each second. Then how does an LCD TV come up with 120, 240, or 480 frames per second. The answer depends on the technique used. With 120Hz, the answer is the same for most TVs. The TV simply repeats every frame twice. You see each of the 60 video frames twice in rapid succession. The benefit is esoteric and a bit arguable. One theory is that this creates a stronger impression of the image in your brain forcing your brain to better recognize the differences in the following frames. Keep in mind though, that when the first 120Hz TVs came out, the increased frame rates were coupled with better video processing which contributes greatly to the reduction in motion blur and artifacts.

With 240Hz, the rules changed. LED lighting had started to emerge with 240Hz in the market. The ability to rapidly turn LED lights on and off gave the LCD manufacturers another tool. A tool called 'black frame insertion.' It allowed the manufacturers to turn off the LED lights briefly between each of the video frames. Presumably this allowed the LCD cells more time to refresh. It also allowed them to claim that they were pushing 240 frames per second because there was a 'black' frame between each of the 120 full video frames. Some manufacturers did implement 240Hz by doubling the full video frames again over the 120. This meant that they were duplicating each of the 60 original video frames four times, summing to a total of 240 frames per second. These manufacturers frequently accused their counterparts of not using a true 240Hz.

480Hz is a similar story. Manufacturers are essentially using the 'black frame insertion' with full 240Hz processing. 240 full video frames with a black field between each full frame. Most companies are doing this in some of their 2010 models but with different stories. Sony calls it 240Hz Pro, as they defer to the purist opinion that "black fields don't count." LG and other manufacturers are calling it 480Hz, but the technique is the same regardless. "That which we call a rose by any other name..?"

In terms of performance, critics tend to agree that there is a visible improvement from 60Hz to 120Hz. Albeit, that may be, in large part, due to the new motion processing that most manufacturers implemented coincidentally. The differences from 120Hz to 240Hz are arguably less significant. But such is often the case, when simply improving an already implemented technology. It's never as big as the first iteration. The effects of 'black frame insertion' on 240Hz are still being debated and the jury is still out on the few TV models we have seen using this technique. Again the benefits are speculative and esoteric but we are dealing with human perception which has never been truly quantifiable. I guess we will just have to wait and 'see' how significant the perceived benefits will be.

Friday, March 5, 2010

Bowers & Wilkins has hit another great milestone in their long history, with the release of the new 800 Series Diamond speakers. The new line presents many improvements over the previous 800 series models, most notably, the inclusion of the Diamond tweeter in the entire 800 Series line. This includes the highly anticipated 805 Diamond speaker.

As a long time, proud partner of Bowers & Wilkins, MODIA has been selected as one of the few dealers in the world to help launch the 800 Series Diamond speakers. We are so excited that we wanted to thank all of our loyal clients as well as B&W enthusiasts by offering an unprecedented trade-up opportunity.

We are offering up to 50% of the original price you paid for the B&W 800 series speakers that you currently own as credit for new 800 Diamond Series speakers. You give us your old speakers and we will give you a credit towards an upgrade.

See the website or contact one of our stores for more details. www.MODIA.com

Thursday, January 14, 2010

As much hype at CES was all about 3D technology, I found that another important feature was completely overlooked, QuadPixel Technology. Sharp has obviously done their homework on adding Yellow to the color range when they introduced this. Quoting from their website "This four-primary-color video technology employs a four color filter, for the first time in the industry, that adds the color Y (yellow) to the three colors of R (red), G (green), and B (blue)". In a nut shell, they will be able to produce a staggering 1 Trillion colors on their new Edge Lit LED line of TV's utilizing the new Yellow sub-pixel along with reproducing colors that have been difficult to portray using the conventional RGB format. This will also allow for a more vivid picture with more detail. The LE920UN series will be a QuadPixel Edge Lit 1080P LED with 240Hz and the LE820UN will also have QuadPixel Technology but running at 120Hz. Look for a complete update from us as soon as these hit our showrooms along with a few remaining questions we still have regarding their color choice.

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Bowers & Wilkins 800 series has offered legendary audio performance for decades. Now the Diamond 800 series builds on that legacy with vastly improved performance across the board and for the first time the inclusion of a diamond tweeter in every speaker in the seven model range.Bowers & Wilkins is proud to announce the launch of the 800 Series Diamond. The first new incarnation of the legendary 800 Series in six years brings Bowers & Wilkins closer to the ultimate ambition of its founder, John Bowers; to create a transducer that truly neither adds to nor subtracts from the original signal.Specially designed for the home, the 800 series offers levels of quality such that the most demanding recording and mastering studios in the world choose to use them. All 800 series get boosted by implementation of the famous diamond tweeter technology throughout the whole range, including the new 805 Diamond, a speaker that brings diamond tweeters into the range of more discerning listeners than ever before.The new diamond 800 series increases efficiency and improves the dynamic range of the top-end performance. And with the implementation of a new dual magnet motor system, bass performance has also improved. Coupled with improvements in the crossover, B&W, once again takes the 800 series to a new level of performance.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

The recently released movie "Avatar" has gotten the most attention for its use of 3-D, and other films in 2009 started to drum up interest in the format: "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs," "A Christmas Carol" and "Monsters vs Aliens" among them.

TV programming is another matter.

"Even though content selection (for TV) will be limited at first, the industry must be encouraged by the success of 'Avatar' for proof that 3-D has appeal beyond computer-generated animated films," said Rubin of The NPD Group.

"This really is a chicken and egg issue, where there hasn’t been enough content to justify getting product on the market," said John Taylor of LG Electronics. "This year is when you’re really going to see the content ramp up."

Another boost for 3-D is the Blu-ray Disc Association's recent approval of a technical standard for 3-D Blu-ray, which itself is just starting to gain more consumer acceptance nearly two years after being declared the winner in the high-definition DVD format wars.

Blu-ray, previously hobbled by high pricing, has become more affordable, with players going for under $100 during the holiday season. Many consumers continued to stick with standard DVD players because those discs were cheaper and also could be played in portable players for travel. Studios have recently started packaging Blu-ray discs with regular versions on DVDs.

After many announcements, lastly the 3D television is coming to an electronics outlet near to you. The flat 2-dimensional television is getting an better option with 3D image television. Being held in Las Vegas, it is one of the most major event of the year.

"2010 will be the year in which 3D is brought to the home," DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg says. He has decided to make all his future movies, shows his commitment to 3D technology.

All major electronics brands like Sony, Samsung, LG, Panasonic, Toshiba who tried to out with their own 3D products. Panasonic also planning to start on 3D Viera-TV, Blu-ray apart from the 3D camcorders.

Discovery, Sony & Imax together have decided to create first full time 3D channel, which could be available till end of the year. Initially it will be loaded with nature & science and gradually the content will change when partners generate the entertain movies & shows of 3D version. In the meantime, Sony established downloadable software update for Sony PlayStation 3 which will enable the gaming console to play 3D Blu-ray movies. Ultimately, you will need a brand new television set to enjoy this 3D functionality. With Tvs, Computers also are in the race. People are crazy for computer 3D games .

Both LG & Panasonic, have focus on High definition Skype videos for internet enabled television sets, which provides Skype free calling tool on internet enabled televisions through video calls.

"Two years ago, people were still saying that 3D (TV) probably won't work," says Sony CEO Howard Stringer. "The momentum of 3D in the last six months alone has been quite striking. And even though there are not hundreds of movies (in 3D), there's a kind of rolling rhythm to this. The more success we have, the easier it is for us to upgrade movies to 3D, and there are events that can be exciting, like 3D concerts and video games."